Prepare to stand a very very long time. They aren't slow. It just attracts a lot of people.

Great haunted house! Hands down the best around. Save your money and freaking time and go here! read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

Best Haunted House I've ever been to. A must see. Very organized. Ticket prices are fair.

I worked a haunted house one year in college but haven't really been through one. I wanted to check out Statesville because that was always rated as the best for many years, but I learned last year was their finale... The actors from Statesville moved over and combined with HellsGate, so we went here instead. First, I'll say the actors here overall worked hard and did a good job entertaining people. One of the actors got a little too carried away and was being (I felt) overly aggressive with some kid in the line, made me a bit uncomfortable in a bad way, but the kid seemed alright, so whatever. There was also an employee lining us up to get into the house itself who was obnoxious and rude to a girl who wasn't moving fast enough for him. The biggest downer is the ridiculous wait time. You wait 40 minutes to get on a bus, then you wait another 30 minutes to turn in the tickets you bought online for paper tickets, then you wait like 2 MFing hours in this long cattle pen line before you finally get in. While you wait there there's screamo metal blasting nonstop. By the time I got in I was so overstimulated and worn out that all I wanted was to sit down and close my eyes. Not sure if my ADHD played arole in that, but a lot of other people looked exhausted too. And this is before you even get in. Also when you get to the first ticket line there's a sign there with wait times. Its total nonsense, said we had a 45 minute wait and again it was hours. Then when you're inside the actual building you have to line up again in rows 2-3 times again. It's too much. Anyway the experience itself is pretty good. You go through an outdoor area and then through a house. It's mostly jump scares and things like that. I've seen every horror film there is and enough bad/disgusting shit in actual life that nothing much scares me anymore. But it's entertaining. They had fire dancers outside at one point and a guy with a chainsaw. Some of the old Statesville performers are really good at standing dead still so you think they're a dummy, then suddenly moving. I enjoyed that. If you are claustrophobic or if flashing lights give you seizures you should skip this. Good stuff: actors working hard, mostly friendly staff, costumes are intricate and very cool, the whole production is pretty detailed. Bad stuff: wait times are WAY too long, the constant blasting screamo metal music, Mr. Impatient employee at the front of the building and Mr. Aggro employee in the line. The experience for both customers and actors would probably be much better if they sold fewer tickets per day and worked from a time reservation system instead of stacking people like sardines and giving immediate entry to people willing to pay a ridiculous upcharge. read more

My husband and I traveled all the way from Florida to come to Hells Gate for our first time. And let me tell you it was well worth the trip!! I've been to many haunts before like universal , Busch gardens, and some others and Hells Gate is by far the #1 I have ever been to. It wasnt just a haunted house it was a whole experience/ adventure. You start with a bus ride through the woods and you arrive to the haunted trail you have to go through before the house! The whole experience was about 2 hours (including waiting in line). The line went super quick and they had scare actors entertaining most of the time. You can tell how much thought and love goes into this whole show! Very well done zombie army!! And great job scare actors! There was not one moment I wasn't scared. There was someone or something at every turn. I give this 10/10 and I highly recommend!!! read more

5 stars for Hell's Gate Haunted House in Lockport, Illinois! The effects and animatronics are really amazing in this house. You start your tour in the parking lot where there are school buses every 10 minutes and they take you to the property (in the middle of a forest)- when you get there, you show your tickets, wait in line and the first part of the haunted house is outside on a path in the forest, the second part is in the mansion itself, it's all super detailed, there is also a gift shop and photo Ops at the end of the house. This is a top 5 haunted house in the Chicagoland area - I'd recommend trying it during the Halloween season. read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

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This place is my NUMBER ONE haunted house in Illinois! The actors get into it, and really get ALOT of jump scares from normal people. I walked through like it was a prison galley and IDGAF so no jump scares to me whatever but I could still appreciate the creativity and art in this place. 1st starting off on the school bus alone is FUN AF! Bringing back those school memories, then walking through the forest like it's Resident Evil original 1 to the mansion is so much fun and so much cool things to see especially upon coming up to the mansion. The flames are going with fog and it's a scene outta Castlevania. The 2 sister storyline in the mansion is FUN and you get some REALLY good wire work in the mansion by some actresses about to stomp on you from above! Chainsaw guys could've been better and I asked them if I could hire them to do my lawn since the guys I had could've remember the schedule. I interacted with most the actors along the way with my own quirky style and they were all cool about it and had fun. BEST haunted house for creativity and cool actors though Dungeon of Doom is a now a close 2nd. I'll have to go this year to that to to see if they still have the magic. read more

Hells Gate- more like HELLA FUN. Hittin it from the back of the bus was a bit bumpy but good thing Joey was there. His freaky ass. The story, the plot, the energy just chefs kiss . My friend was a bit traumatized having to go back into the closet but we were able to escape it using the freaky slide. The chainsaw at the end made us cream but so worth it. 10/10 would come back again! read more

I enjoyed how interactive the actors were with the guests; keeping everything organized while scaring us is not easy!! I read about how they credit Statesville pioneering the way for haunted houses, and I appreciated the subtle nods to them in some of the rooms. Was not sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed myself, especially because we went on the slower nights so there was no hour long lines. The ending while waiting for the bus tho read more

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I've had a tradition of going to Statesville every year since I was about 14 Im 21 now and their last year was a sad one. Im so glad this merge was made! This haunt was great to begin with but now with the Statesville crew it's a must see! They interact while you wait, the haunt itself is both inside and outside & it's great! 10/10 recommend, looking forward to this new tradition (opening night was so great we went again the next day in case we missed anything!) read more

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I truly think this is one of the best haunted houses in the area. It has the spirit of Halloween all over it and better production value than so many out there. but I'm taking away a star for major sound issues - I love you, HG, but I'm going to be harsh: Do you know what's not scary to ANYONE? Hard rock and Marylin Manson. You are ruining all atmosphere by playing songs that weren't scary 30 years ago and now play at kindergarten Halloween parties. It's so so so distracting and shows how out of touch with horror the creator is - yes, it does. I'm sorry. You have put so much effort into every little detail and then you give no thought to the sound atmosphere? Come on - it can't even technically be legal to play Beautiful People (seriously - they use it) without paying for the rights. Make this a 5 star experience- get rid of modern music and commit to your experience. It's really sad you gave up and hit play on the obnoxiously simplistic song you could. Note: there are many points where the sound is fantastic- truly fantastic. But it's hard to recall when the equivalent of the local hard rock radio station is playing in a few scenes. read more

amazing haunted house...horrible experience. Between all the different lines you have to wait in you end up spending 5+ hours there. That is unless your willing to spend an extra $35 for "instant entry". But instant entry isn't really instant entry because then you walk into another line outside the actual house too. All that standing and waiting caused so much pain to my spine...might have to go to silver cross. There's got to be easier ways to manage the huge crowd. Overall loved the haunted house, everything else sucked. Parking situation was unbelievable as well, let's just say my car is making weird noises now after driving through 4 foot weeds. Prices are a bit greedy. read more

Let me begin by saying that the actual haunted house was 5 stars. It was nothing short of phenomenal, experiences triggering all senses and extremely well done. It is presumably one of the best haunted houses I have ever visited. The reason I give this three stars is due to the way our group was treated. Beginning with the bus ride to the actual line for the haunted house, we were SCREAMED AT to shut up and sit down on the bus by a fat guy in a tie dye shirt. Were kids on the bus loud? Yes. Did that warrant someone screaming at all paying customers on the bus at the top of his lungs? Absolutely not. No one was interfering with driver's ability to drive the bus. Throughout the evening, we had to form many lines and most of the people were ok, not terribly mean but also not nice. Then the bus ride back to the car lot was met with more ignorance, yelling and unnecessary altercations between the bus driver and people on the bus. The experience was awful and certainly not the best example for teens and kids of all ages on the bus. I expect better from Hell's Gate as well as whomever they hire to run the shuttles back and forth. It was disappointing, unnecessary and it took away from what would have been the best night. read more

Don't go on weekends it's to busy and you don't enjoy it because the groups are to close to each other so can hear everyone screaming in front of you so you know that someone is going to scare you I will not be coming again .....you can give the groups that are together to go in and wait for other groups so people in the back can enjoy read more

Had the absolute best time EVER!!! I am a true horror fanatic. My nieces took a train from StL and I flew in from DC to experience HellsGate and they did not disappoint! The bus ride was creepy knowing how deep into the woods your going without transportation out! The line was long but moved quickly and we were entertained by the amazing actors and actresses the entire time. The makeup and costumes were phenomenal. The entire production was like any other we've been to. I'd definitely go back great scares and some great laughs! read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Photo booth after - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

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This place should not be listed as kid friendly. Last night our whole party of 40 half kids and half parents were disrespected the whole entire time. Grown men and women screaming at our children because they were not quiet or sitting on the bus fast enough. Screaming that is was a school bus!!! So crazy---we were not at school and I am sure anyone at a school would not treat kids or parents the way we were being treated!!!! They were actually so scary we thought maybe it was part of the experience but NOPE it was not. A woman bus driver actually got into an outright screaming match with me because I asked her to please be respectful. They should for sure not be listed as KID FRIENDLY!!! They have no patience for children at all!!!!!! PLEASE Do NOT bring your children to this place go to a different one that is actually kid friendly. read more

I have never gone to any haunted houses before so this was my first time. It was actually brought up by some family members and also some co-workers so I finally wanted to check it out and my boyfriend brought me here on a Saturday night. We drove to a big parking lot only for this event and then rode a school bus to get to the main venue which we found so cool! I don't recall riding a school bus ever so it was the beginning of an eventful night. Then you get in the line to purchase or show them your online tickets and/or you can also upgrade your tickets if you want to. We just had a general admission and waited in line along with everyone else and it was the best decision ever. Well at least for us. We got to interact and see the live actors perform and even got the chance to take picture with. The music they were playing while waiting in line was appealing and we got to dance too! Trust me, you will never be bored waiting in line. The actors was so warm and welcoming and I have enjoyed it to the fullest! Wish I could've took pictures with each and every single one of them but I didn't want to be obnoxious. Having said this, go with your smart phones fully charged. We'll unless you don't want to document and/or take photos at this event. Upon entering, you will be walking so be prepared to walk and get spooked! I had multiple times left my boyfriend because I was scared which was the purpose of coming to this place. It sounds weird but I had so much fun! We had so much fun! I ran from him especially when we got to the chainsaw actors lmao we will never forget that! We had our asses laughing after. Wish we could record it but I understand we have to live in the moment and it was really fun! Then we got to the mansion and we had to fall in line. I liked how you get to experience different rooms and the special effects and don't forget you're going on slide!!! That was also a fun one. After the mansion you get to a gift shop where they sell cool spooky items and then out to the last area where you get to buy food from food trucks and some games and photo ops and just relax. I am so glad to get to experience this haunted house as my first. Me and my boyfriend had a blast! I highly recommend this haunted house. Tip: don't bring any belongings aside from your phone and a credit or debit card as you will be walking/running around and getting through the mansion with live actors inside and whatnot. Just so you can go and fully enjoy the experience in ease. I cannot wait to come back! read more

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We went last night and we were so impressed with the employees and their professionalism and enthusiasm! From the initial bus driver to the greeter to all of the amazing fun and scary actors to the bus driver home! A1A as Mr, Potter would say! Fun for all and wonderfully done. Next time we go we will Take it a bit slower to appreciate all the props and sets better. We loved it and had so much fun! read more

I just got back from what was the most amazing haunted house experience I think I have ever had. The entire experience lasted more than an hour. You must get on a bus at the Lockport Metra ( free parking) and take a short bus ride to the actual experience. But from there you go through haunted woods and a cemetery chock full of awesomeness. Once you get through that you seem to accidentally come upon the mansion which is expertly lit. Once inside every room is seriously well thought out and flows well. If I have one complaint it's that it ends abruptly leaving you wondering if you went the wrong way. The actors are fabulous and really do a great job. I cannot recommend this haunted experience enough. I may even go back. I do agree with other people that the bus ride could be better. There's definitely a huge opportunity missed. read more

Very cool haunted house, with the bus ride and walking through the woods. It was scary, but could have been scarier. I was hoping that it will live up to what statesville was, but it didn't. read more

I've been to hellsgate twice now, once this year and once back in 2017. I am both happy and sad about their merge with statesville haunted prison . Very glad the same actors are at hellsgate now- Fluffy is phenomenal and so is Sharkie. Such fun and interactive actors. The wait is yes- very long. I'm not sure why people complain so fricking much about this though. It's a haunted house, they are only around once a season. Everyone goes to them. Stick it out and quit complaining or don't go. With the bus ride and lines me and my friend were there for about 3 hours total. Waiting in line doesn't bother me because there's music blaring and the actors (like fluffy) will interact with you. The walk through the forested part of this experience is so very cool. I wish they had some more actors out there because the scenery was very cool and unsettling. The house itself is fun. The whole twins story is kind of goofy but it's nice they have a plot. The actors are fun and scary, props as well. I wish they didn't rush you as much but that's expected when they are trying to get a bunch of people through. The animal room is cool- I love snakes so I wish they actually brought the snake or an animal out but they didn't while I was there. Overall very fun and neat. Some good scares. read more

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I've been to a haunted house in my area not too far from Hells Gate and it was a disappointment. This place however, it's definitely such a memorable experience and even before you buy your ticket. You start by parking at the Lockport Metra station, so many people try going down the sketchy dark road. DON'T DO THAT! You board the bus and you go down this sketchy road and this is before you even by the tickets too I might add (unless you order it online), there's a variety of packages too I'm surprised they had to get the most out of the experience. I bought a general ticket, so I got the "general" experience. As soon as I got my ticket before I even got to in the actual line to start my journey, a character caught me off guard and gave me the biggest scare in over a decade. The whole experience is phenomenal! The work that was put into this for each and every performance and group that comes by is outstanding. Especially learning it takes 200 people to create this marvel is beyond fascinating. After the tour, you go straight to the gift shop, which in my opinion is a cliche way to end any great adventure but it didn't end there. I had to use the restroom and a character scared me while I was using the restroom (they growled and shook the Porto potty) . I PEED MY PANTS! I'm not mad! BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! They even have a Joey's! 7 STARS!!! read more

This was a horrible experience I had more fun anticipating it and in the line then actually in the haunted house First of all, we waited three hours in lines, and once we got in the haunted house, still had to wait in lines, which was ridiculous Wasn't even scary nothing popped out we were supposed to go on this trail and I'm thinking people are going to pop out nothing we paid $80 to stand in line which is easily to scare was not even scared I would not recommend at all read more

Well, this was a treat! I'm so glad my hubby and I got to the Lockport Metra station an hour earlier since we heard about the huge crowds for this haunted house. The bus driver was generous enough to let us wait inside the bus around 6:25pm. After that we made our way to the location at about 7:05pm. Check in was easy and then that's when the fun started. The actors are very professional and creeped up on you while you wait in line. This is by far the most creative and scariest haunted house I've been in. Definitely worth the drive all the way from Chicago. Will be coming back next Halloween. Thanks yelp for the tickets!! read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Scary - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

SUMMARY Cost: $29 Speedpass (group buy discount) Regular price: $25, speed pass $35 Wait time: 10 minutes with speed pass Haunting time: 25 minutes Rating: B It was 3 Friday nights before Halloween and we arrived around 9pm at Hellsgate ready for a wait. We parked at the Metra parking lot and wasn't sure if we needed to pay the $1 daily fee, but some say it was free to park to night. I didn't pay and didn't get a ticket. To my surprise, there was no wait for the bus! I heard that it might have been a lot busier the weekend before because of all the Groupons and other promotions going on. The school bus driver was in costume and the first one we got was dressed as a red devil. The ride was down a narrow dark tree lined road. It was about a 9-minute bus ride to the ticket line. The will call line wasn't that long and we got our tickets in 5 minutes. The general admission line was much longer than the speed pass line and I would say we saved at least an hour of waiting. After a few minutes of waiting, we found ourselves in the woods with creatures popping out at us. It was a pretty fun walk to get to the actual haunted house. There's another wait to hand in your ticket and get into the haunted house, but it was only a couple of minutes for us. We spent about 20 minutes in the haunted house and I thought it was nicely designed. It began in the staging room where we received an introduction and then 2 twin zombies popped out to tell us the back story. Some of the rooms I remember seeing include the porcelain doll room, pig room, strobe light room, giant dolls room, and mermaid tail (giant fish) room. Some of my favorite moments included the ceiling zombie, bookshelves zombies, and getting to pet a snake in the reptile room. At the end of the haunted house, we slide down these short giant slides and were given a small glow stick that we can use to try and find the key in the next room. If you find the key, you get your money back! After that, you exit through the gift shop and walk outside to find 3 food trucks! The bus seems to be efficient and we only had to wait a couple of minutes to get on one to go back to the Metra station. Overall, it wasn't scary, but I did scream a few times. The décor and costumes were great. We had a great time here. read more

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My new favorite haunted house! Once you park, you go into a school bus that takes you to the actual haunted house. The bus goes through a forest, but I definitely think they should have people in costumes waiting in the forest or at least have decorations there because there isn't any. Once you get there, you wait in a line and they have cool people in costumes creeping in the lines. Once inside, you go through a cemetery forest-type place before you get into the real house. This is the first haunted house I've ever been to where I actually screamed consistantly throughout. The actors do a great job and they split you up into very small groups which is super rare because most haunted houses ruin the experience by putting you in huge groups or not waiting long enough to let the next groups go in. The high quality costumes and props really make the experience creepy, and it has a scary movie type feel. I don't want to go into too much detail, because I hate when people ruin surprises for others. One annoying thing is also that the house just kind of ends. There's no warning, you just happen to be outside all of a sudden and it's over. You know once you hit the overly expensive gift shop haha. You definitely have to experience this place for yourself. It was worth the hour drive. Welcome to Hell! read more

Best haunted house in the illinois area! I've traveled to multiple haunted houses in the area and out of town and this one takes the trophy! Well thought out, combines a story, a ambiance and actors that make you scream! This was exactly what I wanted out of a haunted house, I wish it was open year round to go. read more

Find a haunted house that is accessible and inclusive. You found it with HellsGate!!!!! So appreciated, thank you. And it's the best-haunted house with the best actors. Sure, the wait in line is long, but it's worth it, and you are entertained the entire time by great actors while waiting. It's far out if you live in the city but it's absolutely worth the drive. We look forward to it every year! I'm smiling thinking about it, and I'm home. read more

A W S O M E , if that's what hell is like , take me now ... very well organized , clean , and simple yet AWSOME , get there early because the lines are LONGGGGG read more

Great haunt with a story line if you want to check out the site, but not needed. They have a wide variety of tricks along the way and the outdoor v indoor sections keep this interesting and on your toes. The staff is excellent and really attentive to the customers to make sure everyone was having an experience. Well run and organized. read more

very fun. me and my buddys went here just because we had nothing to do. came from suburbs of chicago. had a great time. it's definitely not the scariest option but one of the most fun for sure. i don't know what makes it fun. i think it could be the actors and actresses. they make it very fun. overall great place read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

I'm a big fan of zombie army productions, so when I heard HellsGate was opening, I was very excited. I convinced a friend of mine to go in Oct 2017 - it was a super rainy night, so there was not a lot of people there. We got on the bus in about 5 minutes, and waited in line once arrived for maybe another 5 minutes. One of the staff recognized that I'm a little unbalanced on grass and dirt, and pulled me aside to tell me to be careful and just say something if I needed assistance before getting to the manor, which I really appreciated. All of that said, I wasn't very impressed with the manor portion. I did very much enjoy the decor and the actors efforts, but I definitely was not scared. I felt everything was a bit sparse. TLDR: great staff and atmosphere, but not necessarily scary read more

The production quality of this place is insane. The people running HellsGate spared no expense with their decorations, costumes, actors/actresses, and music; painting the perfect setting that really gave me the creeps when I visited 10/31/17! No spoilers here, but the whole environment was genius - the woods leading up to the haunted mansion is just as frightening as the house itself, and just as well decorated!! This place belongs in a stephen king novel...or a goosebumps flick, because it'll definitely wear your voice box out! Again, mind blown by the amount of work and effort that went into this production - props to the mad talent of the cast/crew/set designers/makeup artists at Hellsgate; and thanks for an unforgettable birthday c: P.S: definitely get here early next year because lines can get quite long and they only allow small groups to go at a time (understandable since otherwise all the scares would be spoiled by the people in front of you) read more

HellsGate Haunted House - Really skilled flamethrowers - Haunted Houses Near Me - Lockport, Illinois

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I liked the bus ride to the haunted house. It was very spooky and foggy that night so it set the mood. We paid for the VIP to skip the extremely long general admission line. The walk through the forest to get to the house was my favorite. The only thing I didnt like about the haunted house was that the actors rushed us through the forest and the house. I understand that they wanted to get the line down but I wanted to fully soak in the experience. Overall I would recommend. read more

This experience was such a blowout. We arrived at 8:00pm and left at 1:30am and never got a chance to go into the attraction because it was so late - we were so exhausted. All we did was wait in line. When we arrived, we sat in an hour of traffic to get into the parking lot. Once we parked the car, we had to wait in an hour and a half line to take a shuttle to the attraction. Once we got to the main entrance, we had to stand in another line to get our tickets pass even though we already bought tickets in advance. After that line, we moved to the general admission line which was an over sixty minute wait. We only stood in line for about thirty minutes because it was 1:30am by the time we decided this was too much and concluded that we would not get out of there until after 2am even though we arrived at 8pm. The customers are also rude. When we were in the traffic line to get into the parking lot, I tried to merge over into the lane that turned into the parking lot, some lady who was trying to get in aggressively took my spot where I could have merged in. She signaled me to roll down my window and said "I'm not letting you in, I've waited in this line for an f****** hour!" This place should let people know in advance that all you will do is wait in line and that you will have to wait at least six hours to enter the attraction once you arrive. Not doing this again. read more

Please for the love of all that is holy fix your waiting for this haunted house. 5 hour wait for anything is just unacceptable in the cold. It killed my back waiting that long. Even if you got the VIP ticket you might save 30 to 45 min from your wait time. Instead of waiting 5 hours you might wait 4 hours. Horrible and i am pissed. read more

I cannot even comment on the haunted house itself. However the process to get to the haunted house is ridiculous. I got there around 8 and the line to get onto the bus to shuttle to the haunted house was thousands and thousands of people long... I waited 15 minutes in line to see if it was moving fast but we moved 10 feet. They need to start limiting how many tickets are purchased on a given day or give time slots people can buy tickets for. We drove an hour just to see this haunted house and we didn't even stay because the wait would've been at least 4 hours long read more

does not offer refund my mom and sister got scared before entering and tried to leave before and they denied her compensation , food workers laughed at me after making my food bad, workers were great but expirence was terrible read more

Loved this place! I went here with a group of friends and we had a blast. It was very cool walking through the forest to the haunted house. Actors interacted with us and made funny comments. You can tell so much work was put into the facility. I have had many poor haunted house experiences, but Hells Gate definitely wasn't one of them. The detail put into the mansion was unbelievable! The different rooms were very cool and spooky. In my past haunted house experiences I haven't got scared, but the actors at Hells Gate scared me quite a few times. The staff was very friendly and polite to us. I completely recommend Hells Gate! read more

I have been going to haunted houses for over a decade and this house has been the best overall. It's actors, set up, vibe and decoration was amazing and worth the wait in line. Highly highly recommend!!! read more